I am a charcoal seller and double up as a carpenter. Through this businesses I have been able to take care of some of my families needs but not all. I would like to build a sustainable emergency fund that will take care of my families needs when I do not make enough from the work I do. I am focusing most of my cash transfers to buying animals which will be able to reproduce and grow in number ensuring I can sell them and raise funds to take care of any needs that come up.

I have always wanted to increase my flock and now I am able to to do this thanks to Givedirectly transfers. I was able to use about $34 to buy a goat and $9 to buy two female chicken. Food has also been made available in my home thanks to Givedirectly transfers. I was able to buy food at $23. My child was also going back to school and had worn out uniforms which I was able to replace at $5.

Through the ongoing cash transfers, my dream is to have livestock like goats and cows, as they will increase in number within a short period and I can easily convert them to cash when the need arises. These animals will serve as a reliable source of income, providing financial security and flexibility. In the future, when my children are in high school, I plan to sell some of the livestock to ensure that all their educational expenses are met without delay. This way, I can focus on their studies and well-being without constantly worrying about money. Additionally, the livestock will help sustain our family's needs by providing milk and other resources. I am confident that with this plan, I will be able to build a stable and prosperous future for my family, ensuring that we are always prepared for any financial challenges.

On receiving the cash transfers, I used around $34 to pay fees for my four children and buy uniforms for the two whose uniforms were torn and old. The sight of my children dressed smartly and attending school regularly filled my heart with joy. Education is the key to their future, and now they can learn without the constant fear of being sent home for unpaid fees. Seeing them among their classmates, eager to absorb knowledge, makes me hopeful that they will have a brighter future than I could have imagined. Their excitement about school is infectious, and I am thrilled to support their education in this way. Later on, I invested in a goat for another $34, believing it would thrive in our region. This decision was strategic, as I anticipate the goat multiplying and providing significant support for my family's needs. The goats will be a source of income, helping me manage school fees and other essentials. With the remaining $34, I purchased a new mattress to replace the old, torn one that caused me countless sleepless nights. The difference is remarkable; I now wake up refreshed and pain-free, ready to tackle the day's challenges. My improved sleep has had a positive impact on my overall health and well-being. Thanks to the support from GiveDirectly, I have been able to make meaningful changes that enhance our quality of life and bring a sense of stability and comfort to our home.

Poultry and livestock keeping has always been my passion with my main interest being in goat and chicken keeping. This is because they increase in number over a short period of time and they can easily be converted to cash when need arises. In addition, these are the items that I can comfortably buy using my transfers. Due to this, I am currently planning to venture into it. I will be using my monthly transfers to purchase either a goat or two chicken monthly depending with my household needs and financial status as at the time I'll be receiving the transfer. With this project in place, I will be sure that my family's needs are always covered since I can easily sell any of them in order to get money.

With my most recent transfer, I spent $34 on the purchase of some building materials that I needed for the completion of my family's house. Currently, I am happy and at peace since we now have a more spacious house as a family. In addition, I used $29to pay school fees and in the purchase school uniforms for my children. I settled on this since I had spent the money that I had during the holidays and my children school fees needed to be paid and their uniforms changed. Aside from this, I saved $15 in our merry go round group that we formed in our locality and used the remaining $24 on some household items that we needed.

I had always wanted a bigger house seeing that my kids were fast becoming grown ups. We live in a two room house which acts as our lounge, sleeping area and cooking area. I had my eldest joining junior secondary soon and I would want that myself as well as my children have sufficient space. I have bought most of my building material but I am also making small payments towards getting the 36 sheets of iron that I need to complete this construction.

I started building my three roomed house in June. I had some savings set aside and a combination of my savings and $19 of my Givedirectly transfers transfers allowed me to starting paying for iron sheets that I need for my construction project, I also spent $34 of the amount on timber in August to use in supporting the roof that will be in the house. I was also able to pay for my children school fees in June and July where I spent $15 of my transfers on both months to pay for school fees.I also was able to buy food for my home in July at $16.

The most recent goal that I would wish to achieve is to have a beer house. The house that I currently live in with my family is in a dilapidated state and whenever it rained, we were always rained on and I always feel bad about it. I always wished that my family lived in a good house I already have most of the materials in place and I hope to get a little amount so that I could start the construction by the end of this month. I would also want to start a livestock rearing project in the future once I am done with the construction and I believe that my future transfers would play a great role in the future project.

I received the transfers at a time when I was in dire need of money. I have a family of 6 and the house that we currently live in is in a dilapidated state, therefore, my plan was to build a new house but due to financial constraints, I had never been lucky to do that. But with the transfers that I have been receiving from GiveDirectly, I have managed so far to buy most of the materials, I also spent the most recent one on buying timber worth $15 and I felt so relieved. 3 of my school-going children were also required to settle some pending school fees balance and I managed to divide $15 among them so that they could carry on with their studies as the rest. With the little remaining amount, I also bought food for my family.

I make seats in a workshop in a local shopping area. Due of my location in the village, I rarely have customers, which results in a meager and unstable revenue. I collect charcoal from the neighborhood and sell it in the local market places to increase our household income because I'm the primary breadwinner in a family of seven, which also includes my five children and wife. I can only make $8 a week from the business, which is primarily used for food and a portion of the kids' school expenses. I haven't been able to build a better house due to my meager income. Our existing one is in poor condition, and we worry that it could collapse at any time and hurt us. I was therefore really delighted when I was accepted into the program. Since then, I have been contributing $15 each month to a savings group in our community in order to accumulate funds for the supplies needed to build a new home. I'm hoping to have raised all the necessary building supplies by the middle of this year. The $15.4 that is left over each month is what I have been using to buy food for my family.

GiveDirectly has done well by providing us with funds. Because through the funds, people have learned to develop themselves in small different projects like rearing livestock. However, I wish I would receive the funds as a lump sum to invest in my goal of building a bigger home.

I am a carpenter, and my wife is a charcoal burner. We have four children who are in school. The biggest challenge I have faced is drought. We derive water for human consumption and other uses from rivers whose recharge depends on rainfall. This situation has left us with nothing to be harvested and buying everything from food to water that is being consumed. After receiving my cash transfers, $15 was used to pay my children’s school fees while the rest was used to buy food and water. I even used $3 to repair my bicycle, which helps me transport water to my home and also deliver some items to my customers

I had had a long and hectic day on the day the transfers were sent. It was late in the evening, around 8 p.m when my wife informed me that she had received her transfer. I was skeptical at first because I had never checked my phone messages. When I checked my phone, I was delighted to confirm receipt of my transfer. I could no longer doubt, but rather believe and thank God for such a unique moment in my life. Because I was struggling financially, we sat down and prioritized how to spend our transfers so that we could meet the family's immediate needs.

I had been struggling to raise school fees for my children due to the nature of the work I do for a living, making and selling charcoal. I was able to pay a portion of the fees as well as purchase some foodstuff. This positively impacted my life by relieving me of the financial stress that my family had been experiencing. My family is currently feeling better than before, so financial assistance has made the biggest difference in my life.

Living in extreme poverty makes life difficult for me. Unfortunately, I did not even have a bed sheet when I got my transfer. As a result, I spent KES 600 on a new pair of bed sheets. I was also struggling to buy food for the family due to the inflated food prices. The transfer was critical in assisting us in acquiring food worth KES 1200, resulting in food that lasted us seven days. Finally, I spent KES 1,200 on school fees for my four primary school-aged children. I am glad the transfer supplemented my earnings from the charcoal business.